Greetings all! This is the seventh edition of what is now my second posted fic. Enjoy!
(I don't own any of the characters in this fic—well, the one's that obviously aren't mine that is—one is mine though!!!)
Chapter 7Anubis had been sipping tea while looking over papers when the knock came. It was so soft it nearly escaped detection—it came again before he realized what it was. Standing, he strolled to the door and slid it open.
"Kayura? It's late—is there something the matter?" He asked noting her look of dejection.
"I don't know—I guess, everything else has been." Kayura commented as she walked passed him. He motioned to his small table as he closed the door. Taking a seat, she folded her arms on the low rising piece of furniture.
"Would you like some tea?" He offered.
"Yeah, sure."
After pouring her tea, he poured himself another cup, sitting at the same time. "Alright Kayura, there must be something on your mind for you to call at this hour—lets have it."
She paused for a long moment before beginning. "Well, I um—I don't know really…I've just been worried a lot and I—I just feel like I need to tell someone before it completely eats me up inside."
"Its all right Kayura, I'm listening."
Kayura nodded before letting out a sigh. "I didn't want to admit this," she began, "but I'm really scared."
"Well, I guess I can understand where you're coming from--"
"I haven't even said anything yet!" Kayura quickly interjected.
"Well, it's obviously about the kid--and you just said you were scared…"
"Yes, but the idea of having a child doesn't bother me Anubis, it's this child. I mean, it's just been so crazy I don't know where to begin!"
"How about the beginning?"
Kayura glared at him—Anubis simply smiled. "Fine. But first I want to say that I think whatever is growing inside of me—is, is dangerous."
"Dangerous? How so?"
"Would you let me finish?" Kayura snapped.
"Sorry."
"Like I was saying, I think the child is dangerous because—god this is going to sound weird—it might be a demon."
Anubis' eyebrows arched immediately. "Yeah, I figured that would be your response," said Kayura, "but just listen. Seven months ago I had this dream, at least I thought it was. I 'dreamt' that I had been kidnapped by this man—who really was a demon. He took me to this place and well—f-forced himself on me. I wake up to find myself in my room—cause like I said, I thought I was dreaming. And as it turns out—obviously I wasn't, because a few days later, I found out that I was with child—and as time passed, all this weird stuff started to happen…are you following any of this?"
Anubis wiped the dazed look from his face. "I'm sorry Lady Kayura, but this story is kind of hard to swallow. You say you were taken against your will by a demon, forced to have sex with it, and now you've become pregnant with its child, and because its part demon, its what has been causing all the incidents in and around the Dynasty?"
"Yes, and the thing is, I don't even think that it's his."
He looked at her and started to laugh. "Wow Kayura, that sounds like something out of a fiction novel, and it's not his? Ha!"
"Its not fiction Anubis, I'm telling the truth here!"
"I'm sorry to laugh Kayura, but it just sounds so unrealistic. If you say that the demon had sex with you, who else's offspring could it be?" She looked down at the fists clinched in her lap. "He wouldn't tell me."
"Who?" Anubis asked, his amused look fading.
"Soja-no."
"Who is that?"
"The demon. He would always refer to the child as 'he' and 'him', as if this person or whatever had been in existence before, and the reason why all these strange happenings have been occurring is because 'he' was restless."
"The fetus?" Anubis confirmed with a slight hand gesture.
"Yes Anubis! Look, if you're going to keep treating me like I'm crazy then I'm going to leave—I'm trying to tell you what happened to me; this could be bad for the whole Nether Realm!"
"Ok Kayura fine, I'll take it for what its worth. Now I assume that this creature or whatever isn't friendly."
"Tisss. What do you think?" Kayura returned with an exaggerated expression.
Anubis gave a raspberry. "Well I guess it's in the right place isn't it?"
"Anubis I don't think you're getting this. Look at me!" Kayura, suddenly riled, exclaimed as she snatched open her kimono—unconcerned with revealing her body to him. Anubis' brow twisted into worry. "Kayura, what are all these sores on you?" He said moving in to examine.
"It's the child I tell you. My back is just as bad—I keep a fever and I'm always ill. Whatever this thing is, it's getting stronger—who knows what it'll do when it finally comes out! I am scared Anubis. Never in my life have I been so afraid of something—this thing could kill me for all it cares!" She ranted as she pulled her kimono about her.
"Then why didn't you abort it?"
"Because I couldn't. Trust me, I've thought about it many times—it won't let me do it."
"Are you saying the child won't let you? That's not possible."
"For this thing it is. The moment I would even fathom harming it—it would cause me some kind of pain. Why do you think I have so many of these sores?"
Anubis sat back. "You need to tell master Talpa or at least Badamon about this, this is getting bad Kayura, you can't keep it under raps any longer."
"I've already told Badamon—he's known that I've been pregnant from the beginning."
"He has? Then why hasn't done anything about it?"
"Because he doesn't know that it's a demon!"
"Kayura, this is ridiculous--"
"I know you want me to tell master Talpa, but he can't know just yet—I have to wait, maybe I can do something before it gets to that."
Anubis frowned. "Kayura, if you could only hear yourself; it sounds to me that you're out of options and you're hoping for a break you're not going to get…it isn't good keeping this from him, he'll be angrier that you didn't say something before."
"Anubis, please!" Kayura whaled as she put her head in her hands. "I just want you to know ok? I'm trapped don't you see? Whether he knows now or later won't change the fact that I'll have to wait. I'm at my wit's end, and I need someone to listen."
Anubis grunted. "Kayura, you don't know what you're asking of me. I wasn't going to say anything initially because one, it wasn't my place, and two, because you asked; then again, I thought you were just being careless with yourself—this is on a completely different level—its a secret better left un-kept." He sighed. "I'm probably sealing my own fate when I say this, but all right--my lips are sealed. Just know Kayura that if anything happens, I'll deny everything and it'll be all on you."
Kayura hung her head. "Fine, thank you."
"You shouldn't." Anubis replied.
****
It was now the ninth month, and strangely the disturbances had ceased. Kayura assumed the worst in that the creature was saving its strength. Soja-no had appeared to her roughly a week before saying to 'be ready.' From that point on Kayura was sick with fear—she didn't know what to expect other than pain and the possibility of death. Kayura fought with herself constantly over wither she should reveal the truth to Talpa. 'What do I have to loose?' Is what she would ask herself—'everything'. She gently rubbed her hand over her belly. "Who are you? What do you mean to do? Why do you hurt me so?" Kayura asked her swollen stomach. An angry gurgle was her only response. In turn Kayura began to weep, if anyone could see her now, they would never have thought her a warrior of the Evil Dynasty.
There was a knock on her door. "Who is it?" She called, masking the tears in her voice. "Kayura, its Anubis. Badamon would like to see you." Oh god, what did he want? "Can't it wait?" She called back. "He said it was urgent, so I guess that means now." Kayura sighed. "Alright, I'll be there in a moment."
****
"What do you want Badamon, I'm very tired."
The head spirit floated down from the rafters to face her. "Kayura," he began. "I've been tracking your soul energy for the past few months, and I do not like what I see."
"For how long?" She grumbled.
"Since that first disturbance in the sky."
Her anger bubbled to the surface. "Oh is that right? Then I suppose you have been observing the horrible pain I've been subjected to—the scars and the nightmares, my suffering right before an incident would occur?"
"Yes."
"If so, then why the hell haven't you been doing anything? I die a little bit every day because of this thing and all you do is watch? I know you could care less, but my god!"
"I am trying to find out what it is Kayura—I can't do that if the subject I'm studying is aware of me."
"Then you must know that--"
"That the creature is demonic? Yes, I had that figured the day of the first storm."
"Well? What did you find? Tell me please!"
He looked at her for a long while before answering. "It's a power unlike any I've ever seen. It's intentions are grave, and it means to do ill. Kayura, I know that you have had contact with a similar power—tell me what it is."
"You mean Soja-no?"
"If that is the other power's name."
"I'm sorry Badamon, I don't know anything."
"Well FIND OUT." The spirit bellowed. "This is a very serious situation Lady Kayura, and you can easily be blamed for the entire thing. To avoid such a label, I suggest you move swiftly. If you want me to uncover more, you will have to be of assistance. The birth is near--we have no more time. I will inform master Talpa, but not now. I will only approach him when I have sufficient information. You are key, go now."
"Y-yes, I'll try."